Today we’re going to talk about the hidden value in the journey.
Do you take time each day to sit in silence and reflect?
I know for me (and many of my coaching clients), this is an extremely valuable habit to cultivate.
There are many benefits including stress reduction, relaxation, and focus, but for me, one of the key things I get is clarity.
It could be clarity on a current challenge or simply new insights on past actions, but either way, it’s time well spent. One of the things I was thinking about this morning is the journey that we all take through life.
I’m a firm believer that the journey is where our sense of accomplishment should lie
Unfortunately, this often gets overlooked in the hectic pace of day-to-day life.
We’ve all set goals at some point. Those can be great motivators…when used correctly, but it’s really the journey where most of the great stuff resides.
I’ve set many goals in my life. Here are a few…
- Playing professional baseball (almost made it…drafted by the New York Yankees)
- Playing in the World Series (made it…to the Junior & Senior League…but not the pros)
- Unsupported Handstand Push-up (didn’t make it…yet)
- Starting a business (made it)
- Getting married and raising 2 great kids (made it)
- Traveling to 100 countries (In progress. 48 so far)
- Living in another country for a year (made it – Australia)
- Top 40 under 40 Entrepreneur Award (didn’t make it)
- Publishing a book (made it)
- Getting Paid to Speak outside Canada (made it)
Looking back…There have been many great accomplishments, but accomplishing each goal was not nearly as enjoyable as I’d expected it to be. This is the hidden value in the journey
The excitement acknowledgment of a particular accomplishment usually lasted a day or two…then it was back to day-to-day life…and the next goal.
What I do remember though is the journey…
- The practices and games as a player and coach.
- The training sessions with my friends.
- Those special adventures and loving moments with the kids
- The work, excitement and learn while doing new things as a business owner.
- The unexpected adventures experienced in a new city or country.
Realizing this about my own journey was an important milestone for me. It has reframed my mindset and helped me see and extract value in each moment of daily life.
To help you see the bigger picture of goals vs. the journey, here’s a vivid example…
As a parent, focusing on goals and failing to embrace the journey is like saying you want to raise your children to be happy, healthy, successful adults…but not enjoying the time with them while they are growing up.
I recommend learning to enjoy each day and to understand that ‘winning’ each one in a personal and professional sense will add up to wonderful accomplishments. You will also learn that the daily experiences, work, and memories are the best accomplishments of all.
As I was contemplating this morning, the previous insights led me to the timing of change, and some of the challenges faced by FRESH! clients.
There’s never a perfect time…except right now! Waiting for the perfect time rarely ever works out well…in my experience, that perfect time never comes.
Instead of the “perfect time”, aim for the “right time”…and the ‘right’ time is usually now or pretty darn close to now.
I see this all the time with clients and prospects.
I’ve actually had people tell me they will hire me as a personal trainer “when they get in better shape”! I usually say…” how’s that been working for you?”.
People often vow that they will “get started” when:
- A vacation is over,
- Their work project ends,
- They recover from Stampede
- Their kids are a bit older
- Their schedule “calms down”
- or some other “distraction” from their goals has finished.
The challenge is they are always “waiting” because there is always another distraction just around the corner. At some point, the only solution is to take control of your life and take action towards your destination.
A mentor of mine likes to say “Take imperfect action NOW”, and “Fail Forward”.
Experience is a Catch22: People often delay taking action because they don’t have enough experience (or knowledge). This is a mistake.
Experience (and knowledge) comes from doing.
Playing and coaching baseball at the national level between the ages of 18-25 taught me more about coaching, performance, mindset, and motivation than any set of books or courses ever could have.
Sure…it was ugly at times…I made MANY mistakes…some of them were painful….but I made the mistakes and moved on. Looking back, it was one of the best learning and growth opportunities in my life. This is when I discovered the hidden value in the journey.
This is part of the process and we learn A LOT along the way. Not every moment is wonderful, some are downright crappy, and others are glorious. Yet, all of these experiences combine to produce WHO WE ARE, our memories, experience, knowledge base, and mindset about life.
By embracing this process, being “in the moment” as much as possible, and teaching ourselves to look for the lessons, gratitude, value, and joy in the process, we enjoy it more, are more likely to persevere, and to see it as a positive part of our narrative, despite the challenges we face.
It also builds a positive, growth-oriented mindset that sets us up for success in whatever we choose to tackle in our future.
This is a particularly important perspective in fitness.
So many people DREAD working out. They say things like I: “hate to sweat”, “don’t like working hard”, “am uncomfortable when my heart rate gets high”, and so many other negative perspectives on exercise.
This makes them see every physically active situation through a negative lens. It’s also at the root of why they continually struggle with consistency and results in their fitness program.
Why would you continually do something that “sucks”? The fact is…you won’t!
Until you start seeing your health, fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle through a different, more positive, and growth-oriented perspective, your results won’t change. You won’t discover the hidden value in the journey.
Change is hard…but a natural and essential part of the growth in life.
I LOVE helping people make this change and embrace the journey.
If you want to learn more about the key pillars of your journey, then The Fitness Curveball is for you! This is our book series that goes through the 4 Pillars of Performance. Mindset, Habits, Movement, and Fuel. This resource can guide you to success on your journey! Click the picture below to get yours today!
